Preservation and Access Research and Development

Division of Preservation and Access

Updated guidelines will be posted at least two months in advance of the deadline listed above.

In the meantime, please use the guidelines for the previous deadline, to get a sense of what is involved in assembling an application.

Brief Summary

Preservation and Access Research and Development grants support projects that address major challenges in preserving or providing access to humanities collections and resources. These challenges include the need to find better ways to preserve materials of critical importance to the nation’s cultural heritage—from fragile artifacts and manuscripts to analog recordings and digital assets subject to technological obsolescence—and to develop advanced modes of searching, discovering, and using such materials.

Applicants should define a specific problem, devise procedures and potential solutions, and explain how they would evaluate their projects and disseminate their findings. Project results must serve the needs of a significant number of humanists.

Program Statistics

In the last four competitions the Preservation and Access Research and Development program received an average of twenty applications per year. The program made an average of three awards per year, for a funding ratio of 15 percent.

The number of applications to an NEH grant program can vary widely from year to year, as can the funding ratio. Information about the average number of applications and awards in recent competitions is meant only to provide historical context for the current competition. Information on the number of applications and awards in individual competitions is available from preservation@neh.gov[1].

Questions?

Program questions should be directed to NEH’s Division of Preservation and Access at 202-606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov[1]. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.